Sade, Victor and Alston: Tech, Diversity and the Workplace

On this edition of The Inc. Tank, Christina Elson talks with recent college graduates working in tech. Sade Ayinde, Victor Jones and Alston Clark share their insights about thriving in a world where constant learning is necessary and job opportunities are fluid.

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FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Christina: Hello, I’m Christina Elson. And on this edition of “The Inc. Tank,” I’ll speak with three recent college grads working in tech. Sade Ayinde, Victor Jones and Alston Clark have agreed to share their insights about thriving in a world where constant learning is necessary and job opportunities are fluid. Guys, it’s so great for you all to join me here today in “The Inc. Tank.” And part of the rationale for doing this show, as I was saying to Sade earlier, when Sade told me, “Yeah, I watch some of your shows. And a lot of the time, there’s people talking about millennials.” So we thought, “Let’s actually talk to some millennials and see what their thoughts are on what’s going on with tech and how they’re viewing their careers and preparation from higher ed.”

So I want to hear a little bit about your journeys to this point, what you were doing in college, did you think that you would be doing what you’re doing now, and what are some of the things that you maybe wish you knew or feel like you were really well prepared in, coming out of college? Sade, let’s start with you.

Sade: Thank you for that introduction. I think it’s very essential. In undergrad, I actually studied economics, and I got a double degree in global development. And I think towards the last year of undergrad, I started to take a lot of programming courses in Python and “R” and more statistics-heavy courses. And I was like, “Okay, I think I want to take my career a different path,” because I was doing economic research, economic analysis, doing things from…studying perspectives globally. But I was like, “I think this is where I want to take my career.”

And when it came down to looking for jobs and things like that, I fell into analytics and blockchain space and consulting. That’s sort of how things got started, but I never saw myself in this space. Had you asked me three years ago, I’d be like, “Oh, you know, maybe I’ll go work for the UN,” or something like that. And possibly. Who knows where that can take me? But I would have never expected myself to be in this space that I am now.

Christina: So you weren’t necessarily thinking about tech and blockchain, but you were thinking about, you want to understand how systems work and what’s going on, like, “Where are we going,” right?

Sade: Exactly, exactly. But now, it’s more from a functional perspective, in thinking about how different systems interact as we are in this global economy.

Christina: Yeah, awesome. Victor?

Victor: I think that was great, Sade. And Sade and I initially connected over our course, “Expository Data Analysis with “R” at the Federal Reserve, we read a lot of research. And that’s where I learned to use “R.” And she worked in “R” and Pythion, and we both did have that policy connection and that initial interest in economic development. I studied economics at Howard University, and Spanish as well, and focused on Latin American development. And I’m currently a senior consultant working within regulatory and operational risk and cognitive and analytics. And if you’d asked me if I thought I’d be here 5 or 10 years ago, I’d have said no.

I thought I wanted to be a physicist growing up, shifted towards medicine. Working my way back from high school up till now, I attended a STEM high school, California Academy of Math and Science. And there, we got a pretty solid base in biotechnology and engineering. We worked on crisper gene editing in high school, so I was intimately familiar with that, and I enjoyed microbiology a lot. And at the same time, I realized in college that I wanted to understand the economy and how it works for people, and how we can lift a rising tide. My desire to study economics started when I went to South Africa with my family as a child, and I saw just this glaring inequality in Johannesburg.

We stayed in a nice modern hotel in the city, and then, 30 minutes outside, we saw townships like Soweto. And I couldn’t understand how an economy could have such wealth but not be well-distributed. And so, in college, I interned with my State assembly member and at Congress to understand how policy’s created. And I was a bit disillusioned, because it seemed policy had gotten so disconnected from the people. And so, I interned at JP Morgan Private Bank within banking, really enjoyed the learning curve. And again, I hit that roadblock where I saw that there weren’t enough tools that involved end users, and it didn’t really seem like there was this connection to the laypeople.

And that is how I found myself in consulting, working within technology, creating tools that can connect end users and the function end users at the companies. And then, I brought it back to Regulation in my operations, to make sure that it’s not getting too haywire. That’s in the tech practice, because again, we’re creating the tools that we need to manage the operations and make sure that we’re improving. And I’ve decided to focus on cognitive and advanced analytics, because I want to make sure that the models that we’re creating now are inclusive. So had you asked me 10 years ago if I thought I’d be here, I’d have to say no.

Christina: I want to get back to this point about tech and inclusivity and what our views on thinking about tech lifting everybody, being part of a rising tide. So that’s a really important point and then, I want to get back to that. And also, let me ask you, what was your journey like, to get here to what you’re doing? And what are you doing? Tell us.

Alston: Firstly, great to be here talking with everybody, and Victor, Sade. And I was listening to everybody’s answer and coming up with my answer, and really in hindsight, I pretty much go with the flow. Depending on which flow you’re in, that can easily be a good thing or a bad thing. In my case, it turned out pretty well because, starting out at a young age, I had opportunities to get exposure to both the arts and the sciences and also entrepreneurship. In college, I also had the opportunity to pursue those avenues with classes, internships, and just connecting with people. I also went to Howard University, just like Victor, and I studied computer science.

In terms of connecting the dots with technology, my interest started in between high school and going to college. In terms of me actually saying, “Look, I want to have a tech startup and go down that avenue,” I was watching TV with my dad. They had this show, “Blacks In Silicon Valley: The Promised Land.” It was, like, a CNN special. And I asked my dad…I was like, “What’s Silicon Valley?” And he was like, “They make technologies with computers. Computers use silicon chips, so that’s why they call it Silicon Valley.” My sister had an internship at Google that summer. I wasn’t doing too much, just getting ready to go to college.

I flew out there to see her and spend some time with her. And that’s when I saw that whole high-technology world, all the possibilities in terms of that you can create some software on your computer, you can launch it and have millions of people interact with it. And not only what that means for the end user and just that whole journey, but also what it can do for you individually, financially, but if you’re connected to your community and to your people, what it can do for them as well. And that concept excited me, and what I did was aligned a lot of my college experiences to kind of facilitate opportunities to help me put myself in places where I could learn from people who’ve done that and try and do it myself.

So I studied computer science, I took classes of entrepreneurship. I launched a few products at Howard as well, which was great, I had a fun time. I interned at Google and I interned at Apple. I did research for NASA and for the United States Army during my last semester, basically creating data sets for machine learning, you know, scraping data from a whole bunch of different places and then putting it in a format where it could be used for machine learning and some other statistical modelling. And that practice is called data engineering. So when it came time for me to figure out what to do post-graduation, I was also working on a startup at that point in time.

But I said to myself, “You can have everything you want, but you may not be able to have it when you want. So I’m going to take this time to get some industry experience, save money, etc,” the same story you would hear from a lot of entrepreneurs. That’s how I got into data engineering, and that’s what I’m doing now at a Fortune 100 firm. And there’s a whole bunch of other stuff in that story as well, we can talk about it later. But that’s my [inaudible 00:08:26].

Christina: That’s good. Save some for later. So it’s interesting because you all are working with larger organizations, right? One of the things that you hear a lot about with millennials is, do millennials want to also be an entrepreneur? And you’re saying you are interested in that, but you’re also interested in understanding what’s going on and maybe learning in this other environment in thinking about, “What do I want?” So what are our youth thinking? What are you learning and seeing in these first years out of school that you think is helping you deal with this future that’s changing really rapidly? Where are you seeing the change and what’s great and what’s also sort of weird?

Sade: I guess I can talk a little bit and follow up on Alston’s tip, where I’m also an entrepreneur and I have my own company, She Gets Away, LLC. I definitely agree with Alston where I was like, “Okay, well, this has just happened. And I can continue with that, go independent and do that, my own thing.” And I read all these articles about, “This person quit their full-time job,” and like, “I’m working from the beach,” and whatever. But I knew that I had to get my hands dirty and really get into the field and see what I could do first, before I just go ahead with some expertise from googling, doing my own research, talking to people. But instead, be in the industry and learning about different ways to apply what I’m learning right now to my own ventures and my own interests and things like that.

Within the space that I work in now, I think that it’s so…everything’s fast-moving. And that’s why the industry that I’m in, in professional services and working consulting, where I am being tasked to always learn about these new technologies currently in my role now, where I work in…develop and build tools and process enhancements. Then on the side, I’m also doing a lot of blockchain work for the firm and at large, within industry. And being able to always be tasked about what’s new and just being able to get things at such a fast and quick rate, I think that’s what energizes me.

And I was like, “I think I still have it in me to keep going,” and then on the side, also still applying, like, “Okay, do I still want to contribute to a new app idea that works in conjunction with my company? Or are there some tips and tricks that I can take from this and apply to somewhere else, to develop a larger client base?” And so, I just knew that I needed to really get my hands dirty and still get that experience and all of that before deciding to go ahead and launch by myself.

Christina: Yeah, so that’s important because it’s complementary for you. And Alston, I think I’m hearing you say also that you feel like this is very complementary, what you’re doing, to your larger long-terms goals as well.

Alston: Indeed. One of the things I like to say and live by is, you can bend your experience towards your destiny, but never bend your destiny towards anything. So no matter where you are in terms of reaching your ultimate goal, you can find some nugget out of that experience to help you get to the next step. It’s not a big deal in terms of, you’re not where you want to be ultimately, as long as you’re taking those steps towards getting there. I think a lot of millennials, if we read the internet, are people living their best life, just like Sade said.

And you’re on YouTube and you see those videos, those ads, come up, like, “Hey, if you’re watching this video, you could be on the beach right now, making $10,000 a minute. [Inaudible 00:11:59] below and we’ll show you how to do it.” I haven’t clicked on any of those links.

Christina: Good. Good.

Christina: But the important thing is just to have fun in what you’re doing, right? And Victor, do you feel like you’re having fun? I mean, people that I’m teaching, I do sometimes get, “Oh, my God. I’m graduating, my life is over.” Did your life end, or did you…?

Victor: No.

Sade: Hopefully, begun.

Victor: It didn’t end. And the transition was more on the seamless side, in that there’s the constant learning. I’m also in consulting, like Sade. And the emphasis is on building skills, constantly learning and making sure that you can turn that into value for your client. And that’s something that I’ve done naturally. I’m always looking for systems improvement, and I’ve been able to do that. I really enjoy the experiences that I’ve had and exposure to different industries. It’s something that I know I can take with me. I’m not looking to start an entrepreneurship venture right now, because I do like having the boots-on-the-ground mentality in policy and in industry. And I enjoy that back-and-forth about seeing how they can complement one another.

Christina: So I think it’s very interesting that all three of you are thinking very clearly about the policy and real-world implications of technology, whether it’s in a community or in the lives your generation and upcoming generations. And I want to hear a little bit about your thoughts along those lines. There’s a lot of talk about, “Technology is good,” “Technology’s bad,” you know, that, “Robots are going to take our jobs.” It’s endless, right? What are your perceptions about where you’d like to see technology really contribute to creating broadly-shared prosperity?

Alston: I think that when technology is used responsibly, and especially in the hands of people that are close to particular problems, that’s when you can really see magic happen in terms of changing people’s lives. I don’t directly link technology with innovation. I know technology is ubiquitous, but even with X amount of technology, that doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to create something that’s innovative. We’re millennials, so we grew up with a certain amount of this. We grew up with the ability to…or at least in our teen years, you can make an application on your iPhone, etc.

And imagine for our children. They’re just going to have it around them, swarming. So they’re going to be born in technology. The question is, what do you do with it? In terms of bringing things to the market that improve financial inequality, I think that comes down to having a holistic viewpoint of what inequality is about, where does it come from, and what are things that have already been in practice that combat that naturally? No matter what underrepresented or marginalized group that you talk about, they have certain factors or measures that they employ to lift themselves up.

If you go back and look in history…I can speak specifically for the African-American community in this country, our treatment. Just go look at the history. We’ve had our own ways in which we uplift each other. If you really go and unpack those things, you could see pieces of technology that could be adapted from them. One specific example is having a rent party, or like some people call it, a sou-sou. It’s basically like, you have money…it’s a pot of money that somebody gets to hold it each week, you bring it back so you can spend what you need. And that’s not just in the African-American community. But in tons of communities, there are a lot of startups now that are using that same methodology, but incorporating blockchain with it.

I wanted to use that example to basically show you that it really comes down to having a holistic viewpoint of what the problem is and then connecting with solutions that are already there, and then you introduce the technology to it. To me, that’s kind of like the formula of helping uplift people.

Christina: That’s super cool.

Sade: Alston touched on a good point, where he said that for millennials for our generation, we have seen this transformation of technology from birth to now, I think, quicker than any other generation has. And you bring up such a good point, because I remember I was Facetiming or WhatsApping my grandmother. And she’s in Ghana, and my aunt and grandmother were Facetiming me. I remember when I had to go…my mom and I had to go to the gas station, get a calling card for, like, five dollars to call family back home. And that was it. And it’s like, once it ran out, it’s like, “Okay, well, we have to get another calling card.”

The fact that I was able to Facetime her and the quality was so crisp, I was just like, “This is insane,” and like, “Do you remember landline?” I was saying…and my children are not going to be able to see that. They’re not even going to be able to get it at all, and anything like that. And to also touch on Alston’s point, it has to incorporate a holistic viewpoint, because it doesn’t just start with, “Oh, we have to be inclusive in our hiring practices,” or even the tech pipeline or anything like that, our trainings and having a chief diversity inclusivity offer and things like that. But it has to be inherently weaved within all of our practices and how we’re developing these new technologies.

I mean, there is a recent study about self-driving cars, about how they’re most likely to cause accidents with black and brown people, because all of the testing subjects have not looked like us. So it’s like, even when we’re thinking, “Okay, inclusion,” and, “Let’s have a chief diversity officer,” and, “Let’s have this tech pipeline,” it’s things that are really affecting all of society that we need to make sure that we’re incorporating in these new technologies.

Christina: Yeah. Victor, tell me a little bit about what you’re thinking.

Victor: I’m thinking that Alston and Sade both have really good points. And to tie it all together with banking and artificial intelligence and self-driving cars and that tech pipeline again, it’s important to recognize marginalized communities. In particular with AI, a lot of the modeling is based upon existing data sets that’s created by one particular demographic that I think we can identify. And it does not look like the world around them. And within banking, the shift toward digital payments, it leaves a lot of people out, particular those who are underbanked. And they’re disproportionately minorities, people of color, and low-income.

They’re the ones that benefit from making their lives simpler, but they’re sort of left out because there’s not much regulation around that. Luckily, Philadelphia, one of the cities that I’ve heard has banned doors that are card-only, because they did realize that that could have a disproportionately bad effect for low-income earners in the city. And I thought that was a really good policy. And as well, with building that tech pipeline, it matters because having people in the room whose experiences add value in terms of diversity, you create a better product because it has that 360 for everyone who could potentially interact with it.

Christina: We talk a lot about how important it is to have diversity points and diverse experiences. But let’s talk a little bit about what it is like to be a person of color in tech, because you guys all are having different experiences in being able to give voice to some of these ideas. And so, let’s just talk a little bit about that.

Sade: I’m going to defer to Alston, because I know you’re the cofounder of the blockchain labs and that’s already building a pipeline. And I just want you to talk about that first before I begin.

Alston: I got some experience in blockchain in college. Then my senior year, me and two friends who came together, I told them, like, “Hey, we should start a blockchain lab here at Howard.” And we did, it was around September. And right around that time was when bitcoin was coming into popular consciousness. People who were not in computer science were finding about it and what it could mean for them, just in terms of this new technology, and of course, the financial bubble beginning to rise and people getting excited about investing in cryptocurrencies.

And what we did, we started out giving out workshops on campus. And that was our first event, a workshop, and we had about 70 students show up. It was a Wednesday evening, and it was amazing, just the interest that was there. And we took that and we started developing content around it and not just on the investing side, but also on the development side. So from there, what we’re doing is, we’re creating a curriculum and content to help not just Howard University students but also the broader community utilize blockchain technology, have their own voice in it, and leverage it to create solutions that are important to them.

So we’ve taught development workshops, like how to create your own blockchain products, your own cryptocurrency, etc. And that’s where we’re continuing to grow out. We help other universities as well have similar programming. So to answer your question, in terms of being a minority or an underrepresented group in technology, I don’t like to think about that a lot. My honest opinion is this. If you’re really good at what you do, you can find somebody that will pay you for your talent, for your skill. It’s definitely a reality that when you walk into a room and you don’t see yourself represented, you obviously feel that because that’s a human reaction. But in terms of moving past that, it does come down to how much value that you add.

And of course, I’m not trying to step on the toes of anybody who has had real-life experiences where they’re bringing X to the table and even in spite of that, they still feel that they’re being treated in a way that is less than they should be treated, because those stories are out there and you can see them clearly. And in terms of using technology, I guess one thing I’ll say is, I went to Howard University. Howard University was a space where I had the opportunity to be in America and not be black. That’s the best way I can describe it.

And that’s the value that going to a historically black university can give you, because my whole life being in America, you know that you’re African-American. But when you’re at Howard, you see you’re so represented that you’re not a black computer scientist, you’re just a computer scientist. You’re not a black artist, you’re just an artist. That kind of mindset is like, no matter what you want to do, you can literally do it. And anything that would stop you, whether it be systematic struggles, you can overcome them. So I guess my mindset is always like, be yourself 100%, never change that. The same ideas that I have, my innovation, I want to bring that with me every single day, and then connect with other like-minded people who are trying to change the world as well. And I just try and keep it at that, to answer your question.

Christina: That’s a great answer. I do agree with that, you will always find someone to pay you for your skills and talent. That’s phenomenal.

Sade: I don’t think it was until Victor and I took up that class at Howard that I really felt empowered to go ahead and work in this space, because I was just like, “Oh, maybe I’ll have to go to grad school,” or, “I’ll have to get this connection,” or something like that, “to work in this space.” And it wasn’t until I was getting interviews to Google and Facebook and Fortune…and I’m working now at a Fortune 500 company, that I realized that, “Wow, I actually have the ability and capability.”

And I think that it has to do with having a strong support system that…having that toolkit to go into in whatever space that you see yourself, that instead of looking at it like, “Okay, I’m the only one,” or, “There’s no one higher up that looks like me,” but instead, there’s going to be a point where I’m so high up that I’m not going to find people that look like me. And I hope that over time, that this will change. And because I’m in this position, I’m now bringing people up with me. So it’s like, as I’m climbing, I’m turning around and making sure I’m pulling other people up.

Well, I’m helping with recruiting in my company, in making sure people are doing internships in tech and things like that, so that they know that they are more than capable, and there are companies out here that want your talent, not because of your background in terms of your skin color and anything like that, but because of your talent. But you just have to get over that and get that confidence and be able to actually put yourself in those spaces.

Christina: And women, of course. There is a whole other thing going on here, too.

Sade: Yeah, it’s a whole added layer. I…

Christina: It’s a whole other layer.

Sade: Yeah. I was like, “Alston, I agree with you, but…you know?” It’s a whole other layer.

Christina: Yeah. At the same time, everybody’s got their different kinds of struggles and challenges. And I do believe that the approach that you’re taking about thinking about, “How can I continue to pull people with me,” and realize that after a certain point, you really just may not see so many people that look like you for a while. Hopefully, that’s changing, but it’s true. It’s a reality, right? Yeah.

Sade: And I do want to touch on, in addition to having that toolkit that I’m talking about, having sponsors is so…

Victor: It’s so important.

Sade: …key. And it’s different than mentors, because it’s like, I have so many mentors in my life. But having sponsors within the company that you’re working in or within the industry can be so pivotal to pushing your career forward, because sometimes, it’s like, “Okay, well, if I work hard, this is going to happen,” “If I work towards this, this will happen.” And yes, likely. However, having sponsors that are going to advocate for you and pull you in and really reach back and say, “That specific person needs this promotion,” “That specific person needs to be put on this project,” “That specific person should be chosen to speak on this panel,” is where it’s going to go. That’s so key to have a sponsor.

Victor: In my experience of being a black person in technology, I haven’t even thought about it that way. I’m a technologist and I’m black, so that colors my experiences in how I’m going to see and interact with the world and my co-workers. I’ve definitely noticed that there aren’t very many people who look like me, and that’s just something that I realize is par for the course. And again, I give back. I mentor, I make sure that people know about opportunities within tech, financial services and other professional services, just jobs that you’re not going to hear about on the bus on your way to school, necessarily. Part of the capacity-building and making sure that everyone has a seat at the table is just, like Sade mentioned, like Alston mentioned, taking up space, being there, and excelling.

And at the same time, I’ve benefitted from mentorship and asking about opportunities and building sponsors within my firm and outside who can really push my skillset and create opportunities. I think that’s huge. And again, that’s not something that you’re going to learn unless you have someone reaching out to you, which is what I’d like to do to make sure that I’m giving back and lifting up as I climb. But I haven’t ever felt limited because of my race.

Christina: Yeah, Alston, go ahead.

Alston: I really liked your answers, Victor and Sade. In terms of what you all were saying, lifting as we climbing and making sure we’re represented at the table, connecting the dots with all of this conversation, and reverse-engineering a solution to our current situation, we have to move away from the mindset of getting careers in technology and creating careers in technology. In terms of changing the culture at a firm and being able to bring in diverse people and having them feel like they’re not diverse, but feel like they’re at home, that difference, that shift, that really comes down to creating our own companies. And taking it all the way to the beginning, it’s like, in order to create your own company, you have to have funding for that, and you have to be at a place where you can hire people.

So that’s why I really like work that I’m seeing, in terms of increasing the amount of black and brown investors and VCs, because those are the people that really will give you the tools that you need to create companies that you can in turn hire people. One organization that I really like that I worked is called HBCU VC. And what they do is, they give internships to HBCU students to get into the venture capital space, which is traditionally a really hard area to get into. But I believe that with more black VC as investors, that you’ll see, naturally, more diverse startups. And as those startups are successful, there will be more jobs that are opening up at the top level, you’re going to have people that look like you.

That really shifts the dynamic, when you walk into a room and you see people not just two levels above but at the very highest level, because then at that point in time, the culture that they mandate, their values trickle down throughout the enterprise. And that’s how we really solve our own problem, by creating our own markets and our own solutions, our own companies. That’s what I believe.

Sade: Oh, and I wanted to give a big shout-out to Backstage Capital, which is doing such great work, Backstage Capital and also in London. And Serena Williams just launched her own VC this year. And so, as Alston said, we’re starting to see that shift change in where we’re having our own…see our own value and bring us to table.

Christina: What we’re getting to is this idea of sponsorship and people that have reached success, and no matter what their skin color. But definitely, we want to make sure that there is a sponsorship model where…

Sade: Exactly.

Christina: …people are seeing that these are important. And we want to get involved, and we want to make sure there is a path for success. And like you said, you can work really hard. But you also want to make sure that there are people there who are looking out and…

Victor: Who will vouch for you.

Christina: …supporting and vouch for you.

Victor: That’s right. That’s important.

Christina: It’s important in any career, right? So I want to end up…we’re going to wrap up in a little bit. But I want to get some of your ideas about aspirations for what you would love to see in the world, let’s say, 10 years from now, in terms of what is an impact from technology that you’d love to see really taking off in the world, whether… It could be very small, it could be very big, but it could just be, like…let’s say 10, 20 years from now, you’d love to see this one change or benefit to the world that you’re in.

Victor: What I’d like to see is more accountability in developing countries. And I think a way that we can get that is through digital governments and auditing and perhaps blockchain, to increase security and visibility. I’d like to see more technology used to increase accountability for developing markets and to shut down corruption. Another use for tech in civil engagement would be for voting technology, to make sure that it’s accessible for everyone and that it’s secure. I’ve got a few ideas around that, but that’s something I’d like to see 10 years from now, more digital government that works for the people and that is smart.

Christina: That’s a great aspiration. And transparency is so important.

Victor: Definitely.

Sade: I have been watching the fintech financial payment space for a really long time, and I’m really, really excited to see where that continues to go, especially for populations in the global south. I’m really excited about just seeing how financial access can be…continue to be increased within the unbanked and small business owners and entrepreneurs that are not by choice, but just because by way of living, in developing countries. And so, I’m really excited to keep seeing that space grow.

Christina: Alston?

Alston: I would love to see the continuation of diverse founders, being hired by diverse VCs, tackling problems in the U.S. and also abroad in developing markets, such that the solutions are being brought about are non-intrusive, but they’re holistic and they actually care about the people. So instead of creating solutions to bring people online so that you can sell their data, you’re creating solutions because you care about the people, and you’ve also created a model that is sustainable. That’s what I want to see.

Christina: Yeah. We’ll have another show and talk about privacy and transparency, because I think that…I think for millennials, this is a big issue, right? Okay, so we’ll do that one next. But guys, it was awesome having you here. It’s awesome to talk to millennials instead of about millennials. And so…

Alston: Thank you. We finally have a seat at the table.

Christina: …I appreciate…yes. I appreciate the shared insights. I think people are going to get…particularly students in college right now are going to get a lot out of this. But also, I hope you’re colleagues are going to be watching and thinking a lot about this too. So thanks for spending your time with me.

What many people realize these days is that technology in and of itself doesn’t solve problems. What we need to think about is what we want technology to do for us, and how we want to use it to create a future that’s based on important principles across parity, equality, and transparency. Thanks to Sade, Victor, and Alston for talking with me today. Until next time, this is Christina Elson in “The Inc. Tank.”

Voiceover: You can subscribe to “The Inc Tank” on Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. Visit theinctank.org for a full transcript of this episode. A special thank-you to the Kauffman Foundation for their support. From the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, thank you for joining us in “The Inc. Tank.”

This episode of The Inc. Tank would not be possible without:

Christina Elson, Host and Executive Producer
Stevi Calandra, Executive Producer
Podcast Village Studios, Production and Editing

The Inc. Tank Theme Song “Key to the Foot” provided by Clean Cuts Music Library
The Inc. Tank logo was designed by Kasia Burns

This podcast is brought to you by The Ed Snider Center for Enterprise & Markets and the Kauffman Foundation.